20VC: Arm CEO Rene Haas on How The Best Leaders Make Decisions and The Trade-Off Between Speed and Quality | Leadership Lessons from 7 Years at Nvidia | How Companies Can Retain Speed, Innovation and Agility at Scale
Rene Haas, CEO of Arm, shares his journey from Eastman Kodak to leading one of the tech industry's giants. He reflects on crucial lessons from seven years at Nvidia, emphasizing the importance of curiosity and continuous learning. Haas discusses decision-making, revealing common pitfalls leaders face in balancing speed and quality. He also shares insights on scaling organizations while retaining agility and ambition, underlining the need for a culture of urgency and accountability to drive innovation in a large tech company.
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question_answer ANECDOTE
Unintentional CEO Path
René Haas's path to CEO wasn't straightforward.
His early curiosity for technology, sparked by a terminal connected to a Xerox mainframe, shaped his career.
insights INSIGHT
Alignment and Decision-Making Speed
Alignment on a common goal is key.
Make quick decisions, even with incomplete information, to avoid losing valuable time.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Faster Decision-Making
Make decisions faster with 75-80% of the information.
That last 20% rarely changes the outcome but significantly delays progress.
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The Six Disciplines for Leading Change and Achieving High Performance
Quinn, Robert E.
In "CEO Excellence," Robert E. Quinn explores the six disciplines that successful CEOs employ to lead change and achieve high performance. The book emphasizes the importance of building strong relationships, fostering a culture of innovation, and effectively managing organizational change. Quinn's framework provides a practical guide for CEOs to navigate the complexities of leadership in today's dynamic business environment. The book also delves into the personal qualities and skills necessary for effective leadership, highlighting the importance of self-awareness, adaptability, and resilience. Ultimately, "CEO Excellence" offers valuable insights for CEOs seeking to enhance their leadership capabilities and drive organizational success.
Build
An Unorthodox Guide to Making Things Worth Making
Tony Fadell
This book is an advice encyclopedia and a mentor in a box, written for anyone looking to grow at work, from young graduates to CEOs. It charts Tony Fadell's personal journey from a product designer to a leader, startup founder, executive, and mentor. The book includes captivating examples, such as the development of the first iPod and iPhone, and offers practical advice on various aspects of product development, leadership, and entrepreneurship. It emphasizes the importance of human relationships, continuous learning, and caring deeply about the work you do.
Rene Haas is the CEO @ Arm. The technologies that Arm creates are used in over 230+ Bn devices with everything from sensors to smartphones to servers. In 2016 Softbank made Arm it's largest ever acquisition with a reported price of $32Bn. As for Rene, he was appointed CEO in February 2022 having spent the last 8 years in numerous different roles within the company. Before Arm, Rene was Vice President & General Manager of the Computing Products Business Unit at Nvidia where he enjoyed a very successful 7 years with the team there.
In Today's Episode with Rene Haas We Discuss:
1.) Entry into Tech from Eastman Kodak:
How did Rene make his way into the world of technology and innovation?
What are 1-2 of the biggest takeaways from his 7 years at Nvidia?
How did working with Jensen impact his leadership approach and philosophy?
2.) Decision-Making in Leadership:
What is the single biggest mistake leaders make when making decisions today?
How does Rene balance the trade-off between speed vs quality of decision?
At what point does Rene believe leaders have enough data to make a decision?
What does Rene know now that he wishes he had known when he started on decisions?
3.) Scaling the Org and Remaining Nimble:
Agile: How does one retain the speed and agility of a startup when one is the size that Arm is today?
Ambition: How does Rene as a leader inspire the same level of ambition and vision in his team when Arm is as large as it is?
Risk: How does Rene encourage his teams to take large risks when they have so much more to lose?
Breakage: What are the first things to break in scaling? What can leaders do to get ahead of them?
4.) Leadership 101:
What really is strategy? What is it not? What mistakes do all leaders make when it comes to strategy?
How does Rene define "high performance" in leadership? How has his style of leadership changed over time?
How does Rene approach vulnerability in leadership? What are the pros and cons?
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